Could’ve, Should’ve – Lessons from a dog attack

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Scariest, most exhausting moment of my life yesterday. I was walking my two little chihuahuas yesterday, when I came upon a dog without a leash. I immediately picked up my littlest dog because she has a tendency to start fights. The other one usually stands still to let other dogs sniff him. Imagine my horror when the loose dog bounded over and started to lunge at my other dog still on the ground!

I immediately scrambled to scoop my other dog up, but not before the hulking beast of a stray clamped its teeth on the poor guy’s leg. His entire leg. Holy. Shit. With no owner in sight, I started shouting and hitting the beast and managed to get my dog loose, but the attacker was not to be deterred. He was fixated on my little dog and was now jumping all over me to get to him. With both arms holding two dogs, all I could do was lift them out of his reach and push him away with my knee.

I really don’t know what would have happened if that guy lounging by the pool hadn’t come to my rescue. The young man literally leapt over the tall pool fence and ran over to grab the attacker’s collar. Finally, a moment of reprieve.

I started walking back home, too exhausted to run, one dog walking and the other bleeding in my arms. I was just across the street from my front door when the attacking dog reappeared suddenly. Again I kept both my dogs just out of his reach while fending the animal off with my knee. This time I shouted desperately for help. Never in my life have I ever had to shout, “SOMEBODY HELP!” It was surreal, and I was at a loss as to what to do next. What would the Dog Whisperer do? Well Cesar Millan usually had the use of both his arms.

Thankfully the young man reappeared and yanked the dog away from me. I was breathing so hard I was light-headed as I again made my way home. I was barely able to open the door, struggling to stay upright. After setting the dogs down and closing the door, my body sagged and I slid to the floor. I was still panting really hard and I nearly passed out. I felt like I might have a heart attack at any second. I sat there for at least 20 minutes, struggling to catch my breath. I don’t know how much was from physical exertion and how much was from pure panic.

That night I had trouble sleeping as I played those moments over and over in my head. What should I have done differently? How could I have kept my dog from being bitten? What should I have done to deter the attacking dog? If I would have kicked the beast, he might have attacked me instead of fixating on my dog. Should I have made a better effort to run home? So many questions.

Then I started thinking about all the things I would say to the owner of that damn dog. I’ve seen that dog around the neighborhood before, it lives here. What kind of an irresponsible owner lets a dog like that run around unrestrained?

The following morning, I felt sane again. I accepted what had happened, and accepted the fact that I did all I could under the circumstances. No amount of should’ves and could’ves will change the outcome. Dwelling on it accomplishes nothing except more anxiety.

What I’m going to do instead is focus on next steps. Preventative measures, a clean bill of health from the vet, and being thankful I was not attacked myself. I am not angry at the dog, he was just being the kind of dog his owner allowed him to be.

As I was driving to work, I thought about how I could apply this experience to other aspects of my life. It wasn’t a stretch. Be thankful for the positive parts of an outcome, no matter how terrible the other parts were. Learn from the experience and take steps to prevent future occurrences. This doesn’t mean avoidance, hiding is not solving a problem. It’s about proactivity, not reactivity.

That’s what I’m striving for anyway. My body still feels like I pulled a couch up 10 flights of stairs.

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